The myth of Revolutionary Guard's strategic ties with Ahmadinejad

I encourage everyone to read the extensive interview that Financial Times has done with Mojtaba Samareh Hashemi, one of the closest friends and advisor to Ahmadinejad. The following part is particularly important because it reveals how the entire story of Ahmadinejad and Revolutionary Guards (Sepah) is nonsense which was created by Rafsanjanists before the elections in order to discredit this guy. After he won, they also continued with these lies in order to imply that the election was manipulated by the Sepah.

The interesting thing is that among all other candidate, it was Baqer Ghalibaf and then Ali Larijani who were official members of the Sepah and has had the strongest ties. Especially Ghalibaf who was until a few years before the commander of the Sepah air forces. So how come he couldn't use the Sepah network to win or manipulate the elections, but Ahmadinejad could?

FT: Where were you during the Iran-Iraq war [1980-1988]? Were you in the war fronts?

SH: We have to talk about the Cultural Revolution in more details later because it was the origin of many developments in universities and culture in the country.

After the Cultural Revolution, a council was formed upon Imam Khomeini’s order. The Cultural Revolution Council spent two or three years so that a new system would take place in the universities to review the content of university courses and re-write new one based on the Iranian society’s needs and necessities.

This led to closure of universities for two years, during which a very big potential of students was released from universities. Many students were drawn to Jahad-e Sazandegi [Construction Jihad by which ideologically-motivated forces embark on social services to poorer and rural areas], some were drawn to the Revolutionary Guards [the elite military force] and some went to deprived areas to be of service [to people]. We [Mr Ahmadi-Nejad and myself] chose to serve people in poor areas.

We went to West Azarbaijan province [northwestern Iran] in 1359 [1980] together with some other students and accepted some executive responsibilities in the province.

At that time I think Mr Ahmadi-Nejad was Maku local governor and later he became Khoy local governor. After a year or a year and a half, I left Azerbaijan for Kurdistan province, which was during the war and Kurdistan as a border province was under the attack of the Baath regime. Mr Ahmadi-Nejad stayed in West Azarbaijan province.

I stayed in Kurdistan almost from 1981-1988. Meanwhile, in 1986 I continued my studies part time at the university.

During these years, we were active in separate [places]. I was active in Kurdistan province and he was in West Azarbaijan. Later he returned to university for continuing his studies.

FT: You were in contact with each other?

SH: He was busy with his own work, but friendships have always continued. Always

FT: Weren’t you involved in any war activities?

SH: In Kurdistan I was deputy governor for political affairs till 1985 and then became advisor to the provincial governor general to be able to continue my studies. I was in charge of Sanadaj municipality for some time, too.

FT: Was Mr Ahmadi-Nejad in the war fronts during the war years?

SH: Considering that his course of study was civil engineering he helped engineering [in war fronts], but not as an official member [of the Revolutionary Guards] rather like other people in the form of Basij [ideologically-motivated voluntary forces].

FT: Was he a member of Basij organisation?

SH: I don’t know.

FT: But you know Mr Ahmadi-Nejad is introduced, in particular in the western press as a former Revolutionary Guards commander.

SH: No. He has never been a member or an official member of the Revolutionary Guards.

FT: And you say his presence in was only voluntary?

SH: It was when necessary.

FT: How long did this “necessity” last during the war? Did he spend years or months?

SH: I don’t know precisely. He would help when necessary. Considering that time [has passed], I don’t remember exactly. He used to help for logistical support, engineering, war engineering and was present in war fronts. But how long it lasted and in what form it was are the questions that you must ask him.

FT: What was Mr Ahmadi-Nejad doing after the war?

SH: Mr Ahmadi-Nejad continued his studies during this time and fortunately he was very talented and successful in his studies. Although he obtained a scholarship to study PhD abroad, he preferred to continue his studies in Iran.